PotashCorp Allan Underground Expansion Project

When we were asked to help PotashCorp increase the productive capacity of the existing hoisting plant at the Allan Division Mine outside Saskatoon, we knew this meant we would be helping farmers yield bountiful crops. Food which would find its way to your table and ours.

To meet production goals, we analyzed the entire mine hoisting system, from the underground surge bin to the surface skip dump bin. To avoid a prolonged mine production hiatus and accommodate higher capacity skips, the expansion required the production headframe height to be raised. We did this through construction of a stand-alone, four-leg, A-frame structure with penthouse sheave decks, a first in Canada. The new steel headframe was the tallest in the world at the time if its construction, measuring 95.7 meters.

The hoisting plant features a ground mounted four-rope, 234 inch diameter, nominal 12,950 horsepower, friction hoist; the first application of such a design in Canada. This project was completed while the mine remained in production.